They were discovered completely by accident

The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29 March 1974 when farmer Yang Zhifa uncovered fragments of pottery when digging a well. This pottery led to the discovery of the first warrior of the famous Terracotta Army. Quite the find!

There were no historical records of them existing

The discovery of the Terracotta Warriors was a complete surprise to everyone because there are no historical records of them, or of an underground army. They had sat untouched underground for more than 2,200 years. This only adds to the mystery, as it is now the largest and most important tomb site in China.

The scale of the discovery is immense

Since the discovery of the Terracotta Army, more than 2,000 warriors and horses have been excavated from three different burial pits with an estimated 6,000 still buried underground. It is perhaps the enormous scale of the discovery that has added to the mystery and captivated the world, leading people to start describing the warriors as the 8th wonder of the world.

Qin Shi Huang, China’s First Emperor

Amazingly, no two figures are exactly alike

Incredibly, despite the vast number of warriors, each warrior has unique facial features and styles. The warriors of different ranks were buried in battle formation to represent a real army and are split into infantrymen, archers, generals, cavalrymen, charioteers, officers, and guards of honour – all different in their expressions, clothing, and hairstyles.

They were part of the First Emperor’s search for immortality

China’s First Emperor Qin Shi Huang wanted to live forever. He spent a huge amount of resources building a magnificent underground empire, equipped with everything he would need for the afterlife. He had palaces, an army to protect him, chariots for travelling in, stables full of horses, entertainers and even his concubines. Covering an area of 56 square kilometers, it is the biggest burial site on earth. In 1987 the site was given UNESCO World Heritage status and is a major tourist attraction in Xi’an.

It’s not just soldiers

More recent discoveries include terracotta acrobats and strongmen. Another pit contained 15 terracotta musicians and 13 bronze water birds to entertain the Emperor in the afterlife. There was also a pit full of stone armour and several pits full of horse skeletons. You can see some of these amazing objects in the exhibition.

The figures were an early feat of mass-production

Government labourers and local craftsmen created the warriors in workshops. The warriors have the stamps or names of their makers, including administrators, craftsmen and foremen. Each warrior was built from the ground upwards using different body parts made from thick coils of clay and the head was made and fired separately. Sculptural details such as hair, facial features and costume were added by hand before the figure was dried and eventually fired in a huge kiln.

The warriors were actually painted

Originally the warriors were not the terracotta colour that we see today but would have been painted in bright colours. After firing, each terracotta warrior was covered with lacquer before various bright pigments were applied with colours indicating different ranks. You can see traces of paint on two of the warriors in our exhibition.

The warriors carried real weapons

After the warriors were painted, they were then placed in military formation in the pits and were equipped with real bronze weapons. More than 40,000 weapons have been found in the partially excavated warrior pits including swords, lances, spears and arrows. Recent studies have revealed they were never used in battle but were produced specifically for burial with the terracotta army.

The greatest mystery is still to be revealed: the First Emperor’s tomb has never been opened

Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s actual tomb remains a mystery to archaeologists and historians as it is still sealed up. There have been geophysical surveys of the tomb mound, but the mausoleum itself has not been excavated. The tomb was written about by Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, who describes ‘palaces and scenic towers for a hundred officials’, as well as many rare artifacts and treasures. In addition, the two major rivers of China, the Yangtze and the Yellow River, were simulated in the tomb using mercury and the tomb ceiling was decorated with the heavenly constellations. From here, Qin Shi Huang could continue to rule over his empire even in the afterlife.

I travelled to China to see the Terracotta warriors. The sight blew my mind away it’s unbelievable you cannot imagine the time the effort the skills. Not unusual in China ,however, numerous jaw dropping experiences.

Crikey! That’s a steep entrance fee. When are you reducing it to a tenner? Surely a quid a soldier is plenty to pay… A trip to China is less than 2,000 and not only could you see the whole army but you’d get a holiday as well!

Hi Susan – as with all major exhibitions, we are only able to produce and deliver an international exhibition of this scale and importance by generating income through ticket sales. The exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see incredible artefacts from Chinese history. For the museum, there are major costs associated with bringing such objects to the UK – the artefacts are over 2000 years old and they have to be transported in specially made crates with the utmost care. We have ensured that the tickets are reasonably priced and as always, we have included a wide range of concessions and discounts, plus free tickets for younger children.

Can’t seem to buy tickets. When I click on select time and date, it comes up briefly then disappears, I’ve tried everything, even disabling my antivirus thinking that might be blocking it, but nothing. I don’t want to use Ticketmaster because they charge extras. How can I book this?!

We are sorry for the difficulties you’ve experienced. We are aware that there were issues with the site over the weekend which we are looking into. The site is now working and you should be able to purchase your tickets. Let us know if you have any more problems, or you can ring the ticket office on 0151 478 4444.

I’ve booked 10am tickets on 2nd March for my husbands birthday suprise! We get into Lime Street station approx 9.25 will it be a problem if we are a little late? Is it far from the station?
So looking forward to seeing the exebition. Regards Amanda

Hi Amanda! Lime street station is very close to the Liverpool museum! You have to cross the road only! It will take around 3 minutes from lime street to the museum! I can’t wait to see the terracota warriors too!!! Xxx

This exhibition was organised by National Museums Liverpool and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and Shaanxi History Museum.

The exhibition will include a number of objects that have never been on show in the UK before including material from museums and institutes from across Shaanxi Province, excavated over the last 40 years from the Imperial Mausoleum and selected tombs.

Hi Heather, like many museums and galleries, we offer a membership scheme, which provides exclusive members-only benefits to those who sign up. For Terracotta Warriors, members not only get free, unlimited entry to the exhibition but also other benefits, including discounts in our shops and cafes, and members only events. For more info, please visit: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/membership

There will be a talk on the Terracotta Warriors by the author Edward Burnham on February 20. Pre-booking for this event is essential. You can find this event, and all of our events, online here http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/events/.

There will be a small allocation of tickets available on the day from the ticket booth outside museum. Alternatively, you can become a member of National Museums Liverpool to get free entry to the exhibition. For any more information about tickets please ring the ticket office on 0151 478 4444.

Hello Liverpool Museum!
I am really disappointed that a body of several warriors could not be put together to get some feeling of the density of the army. Still it looks very interesting. Having had to cancel a trip due to a death in the family some years ago and never got the opportunity again. So really looking forward to this with my Nephew, who I have purchased the book for.
Will there be a video presentation showing it in reality?

My wife and me are visiting the exhibition on Weds 14th Feb, booked in for 1pm tour. Can we get something to eat / drink close by, as we aim to arrive around 11 am, and my wife can’t walk too far at the moment . Thank you

There is a cafe in World Museum which serves a selection of hot meals, salads, soups, sandwiches, cakes and hot and cold drinks – details here: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/visit/cafe.aspx and the Walker Art Gallery is less than 2 minutes walk away and also has a cafe. There are also a number of restaurants in Queen Square nearby.

I bought 2 tickets for Saturday 15th September at 1600 I should have bought them for Friday 14th at 1600. I’ve tried all day to try and get through on the phone to see if can get them changed but can’t get through. There is no e mail contact address. Not sure what to do will likely have to buy 2 more for the right date. Anyone want to buy 2 tickets for 15th September at 1600 !!!!

Tickets are still available for the exhibition, which runs until 28th October 2018. If tickets are sold out on a particular day you wish to attend, there is a limited number of tickets available each day at the ticket booth outside World Museum.

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